"The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thursday, January 25, 2007

One silly Milly story

I love the theater and writing so when I have been asked to write and act for the kids I jump in feet fist. Ready to have fun.

I have decided to allow you to read a story written for a reading night. Reading night was an idea to bring parents into the school and promote reading. We split the children into two group the first group was the younger and we had parents bring blankets and books. We dressed up in cowboy costumes boots, hats, long coats and made a wild west set. Each station had a person ready to read to the kids. I was the sheriff of video town who didn’t know how to turn a book on. The other sheriff was the sheriff of reading town. As I was riding to a video store for the new video I stopped in to see what in the tarnation was a go’n on. I improved the skit much to the disliking of my friend, because as she said "I never know what’s going to come out of your mouth" I’d be offended if it weren’t true. Hey we spent a lot of time in on car together throughout the years.

The next reading night was a survivor night. I was asked to write a story so that the kids could listen to me read it and then solve a puzzle. I was asked to promote it on the school broadcast once again Milly get to do her improve. I could hear the kids laughing from the classrooms when I said my funny lines.

So here is the story. I was given a few rules before I stared. Short and I had to make it fun. I also needed to hold their interest so that they could later solve the puzzle with the clues in the story.

Note to the grammar police this was written so that I could read it with flair not so that it could be graded. It fix it but I’m too lazy at this moment.

In a school some what like this one there was an amazing class trip to Accelerated Reading Island. The students were divided into groups so that the teachers could, as they often need to, keep track of who’s who and who’s where.

Each group loaded into a bus with one teacher, one parent to help because there is always that one kid who gets lost or has to go to the bathroom or has left his lunch on the playground and is sure that a pack of wild squirrels has stored it for the winter. You all know who I’m talking about. So the parent who knows that this is sure to happen brings an extra lunchable because he learned after the first trip with that kid, who at that time, was sure that a pack of wild cats had taken it. We also have one bus driver. Now bus drivers are unique, each one has their own special quirks and you get use to them. Eddy, who seems to sing some tune that you think you’ve heard your parents sing in the car, you know when you wish they would stop or learn to sing and don’t get me started on the fact that they sing different words to the song. So Eddy just sings all the time to himself. I suppose to tune the kids out.

After some time with instructions like, don’t pick up snakes and don’t eat stuff off the ground and can we please not have someone throw up on the bus again this year, that perhaps goes with don’t eat stuff off the ground. Finally we were headed for the island, stopping exactly six times total at the restrooms. Each time a kid would go running in. The teachers would ask if anyone else need to go, no one would so off we’d go. The thing that bothered me the most about stopping is that it was the same kid each time, that’s right it was Jarvis Lorry. Did he have an endless supply of water on his bus?

After traveling at what seemed to be a turtle’s pace we arrived at the ferry each bus drove on to the large platform that holds cars and such. We were instructed to sit quietly, I noticed Jarvis once again running for the restroom. What is with him?

While on the ferry the teachers, parents, and quirky bus drivers got out and met for an important meeting to discuss the best ways to handle the monkey kid, you know the one, he climbs everything, make us look bad in gym because he can scramble up anything quickly. And what to do with the kid who wanders off, not to mention how to handle the one who is determined to wrestle a shark, he’s wearing a shirt with a shark on it and has a rubber shark tooth necklace. Oh and what on earth are we going to do with Polly she’s afraid of sand? So the adults were talking when the unbelievable, the unexpected, the unknown, the thingy un did and the buses rocked this way and that. This way and that. I suppose everything did. I just happen to be worried about me. Hey! I’m just eleven! I’ve got a lot of living to do! I haven’t tasted every kind of candy at the store and that’s been a goal of mine since I was five. Someone on my buss yelled whale another yelled shark and one kid threw up. Ick.. To be honest I thought I might. I couldn’t believe what happened next just as Mr. Proctor, our fifth grade art teacher, got on the bus to try to calm us down the bus slipped into the water. I watched in disbelief as each one of the busses followed as if we were a big yellow sea monsters ready to swim home.Mr. Proctor tried to assure us but I could tell that he was worried like when Colleen was playing around and looked through a hole in the art room closet door just as Billy kicked it open knocking her down. This was definitely a concerning moment.

We sailed around in the water for quite a while before we hit land, much to everyone’s relief. Especially Mr. Proctor who was trying to calm the screamer down, you’ve heard her she screams every time the lights blink. Once Courtney accidently leaned up against the light switch because she needed to sharpen her pencils, it was test day and she likes to have three freshly sharpened pencils ready, anyway she leaned and the light went out Shelly the Screamer let out a scream that could be heard all the way to the principal’s office causing her to jump making her spill her coffee. Before she could clean it up Mr. Border, the assistant principle slipped and fell, we haven’t seen him since, although some say they can hear his voice outside the. . . wait that’s another story for another time.

Now when we landed Mr. Proctor tried to keep everyone together so that it would be easier on him and safer for us, being that we were kids who had just been bus wrecked on an unknown island. We all tried to look to him for assurance that we would be safe. He suggested that we all draw pictures and make sand castles in the sand. Art is no way to survive, someone mumbled, too bad Mrs. Mundy isn’t with us she knows everything about everything, and a few things about nothing. Polly fainted plunking herself face first in the very thing she was afraid of. Huh. . . I thought as I watched our teacher turn her over. I stood on the beach wondering exactly where are we? Are we on Accelerated Reading Island? "I don’t see piles and piles of books." I must have said that out loud because Robin, the take charge girl looked around and said "Yeah where are they?" She then decided to form a tribe of kids to look around. Mr. Proctor was too busy chasing Mick, the monkey boy and stop Steve the shark hunter from swimming out to sea, to notice that we had broken up into tribes. We each were given tasks to complete by our leaders. One was to find out where we were, the other was to look for fire wood because a signal fire was a good idea that Derek, the cub scout had. We also need to find food and water because we were going to need lunch soon.

I couldn’t believe that this had happened to us. One field trip and we end up stranded. Still stunned I wandered into the jungle I had gone quite a ways before I realized I was lost and alone. I tried to remember how to tell where I was going, let’s see south the sun rises. I read this somewhere. I remember I took a test on a book that had the sun rises in the east and sits in the west. The west. . . cool cowboys my great grandfather to whom I get my middle name was a cowboy. I like reading about cowboys.

Wait this is a jungle I need to remember what I read about jungles and islands. Quick sand, should I worry about quick sand? I hear funny sounds what eats kids in jungles on islands? I decided to look for things to eat. Worms we can eat worms I’ve read that they are very tasty. I managed to find enough to feed everyone one each , I careful put each one in my pockets, yes it was wiggly and I have to admit made me giggle. At least we’re going to eat tonight, if I find my way back. I heard a noise strange yet familiar. I kept walking hoping to find someone or something familiar. Finally I recognized the sound it was Eddy singing to himself! As I reached the edge of the jungle I heard a voice calling out Groevers, Groevers. Where are you? It was Mrs. Blair our principle she was looking for us! Right here I yelled! Shhh! You’re on AR Island the Liberian Said quietly. I thought it odd that she would rather it be quiet being that bus loads of students were lost in that jungle. Where have you been? Mr. Proctor asked. I was looking for something to eat and I got lost because we. . . .I. . a. . hey everyone is here. Yes and it’s almost time to go. My heart sank. I haven’t gotten to read yet. Get rid of the worms and join us. Molly said, She’s a very nice girl in my class with red hair.

What about lunch? I asked not sure if we should let the worms go. Everyone brought their lunch. Mrs. Mundy said. I put the worms on the table and went for my brown paper bag that held the scrumptious peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich.

My lunch was stolen by a pack of wild worms! someone yelled as we boarded the busses for home.

"Prophesy says that it is time to share some of the sacred traditions of our culture. The four colors of man will be coming together to unite and heal. Creator has given different gifts and responsibilities to each of the four colors. Ours is to help preserve Earth for all the children. Time is running out. It’s time to act."-Indigenous Spiritual Leaders of the Americas -